"A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost."
- Marshal Ferdinand Foch

The Liore-et-Olivier LeO 45 was a French medium bomber that was used during and after the Second World War. It had been originally designed and developed for the newly formed Armee de l'air as a modern medium bomber capable of performing independent strategic operations, unlike the majority of previous French bombers.

The LeO 45 was a low-wing monoplane, all-metal in construction, equipped with a retractable undercarriage and powered by two 1,060 hp Gnome-Rhone 14N engines. The prototype, which made its maiden flight on January 15th, 1937, had been outfitted two 1,100 hp Hispano-Suiza engines. The LeO 45 had been developed with the aim of providing a modern and advanced bomber for the new Armee de l'air, which had gained its independence on April 1st, 1933. Introduced to operational service in 1938, it was a very effective and capable bomber.

As only a handful of aircraft had been introduced into the French Air Force by the outbreak of the Second World War, the LeO 45 had effectively appeared too late in order for the type to provide any substantial contribution during the Battle of France in the face of an invasion by Nazi Germany. As a result of the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the LeO 45 was being operated in quantity by both sides of the conflict; while the type continued to be manufactured and operated by occupied Vichy France, the Free France forces also operated the aircraft. The LeO 45 participated in combat missions throughout the remainder of the war, and continued to be used for some time after its end by the post-war French Air Force. The last examples in active service were finally retired in September 1957.

Pictured here is a 1:144 scale diecast replica of a French Lior et Olivier LeO 45 medium bomber that was attached to the 1st Escadrille, Groupe de Bombardement I/31, during 1940. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-inches
Length: 6-inches

Release Date: April 2019